Slipping
by Darkiceflame
Summary: Koichi's life has been altered forever. Now, his struggle to accept is at an end, and he has lost...


**Don't judge. This is my first attempt at angst-y stuff.**

Kouichi Kimura sat with his head in his hands, trying to make sense of what was happening. All that had taken place in the last few months seemed so surreal, he could hardly believe it.  
"It happened" Koichi told himself for the hundredth time. "It was real. I'm not crazy. It happened..."  
This was how it had been ever since his return from the Digital World, or had he ever left? One minute, he'd been fighting Lucemon with his friends at his side, and the next, he was floating, as if in a daze.  
He recalled looking down to see himself in a hospital bed, tubes and wires sticking out of his arms, and doctors hustling around. He caught brief snippets of the conversation. Fractured ribs, damaged spine, failing condition. He was dying.

Then, like a miracle, Koji entered. The brother he'd gotten to know so well over the last few weeks-or was it only minutes? Koji and the other four had gathered around their comrade, with tears exchanged. Koichi began to cry as well, but his own tears faded into whispers and has-beens as his brother yelled his name. There was no hope for him, he realized this. He was slipping away, moving closer and closer to the endless void beyond.  
And then he woke up.

It had been a bit of a shock at first. His eyes focused, and he saw the ceiling. He blinked the salt from his eyes, and looked around. The monitors around him gave sporadic chirps, and a doctor came over in amazement.  
"It's a miracle" the doctor marveled. "He's alive."

**_Hopeless _**

Afterwards, he'd explained to his mother all that happened. Why shouldn't he? He spoke of the Digital World and meeting Koji there. He talked about bringing down Cherubimon and facing Lucemon, and how he'd woken up in the hospital.  
Obviously, his mother disbelieved him, and grew angry at the mention of his brother.  
"You will never use that name again!" she'd practically screamed. "The Minamotos are not our family, and no fairytales about a twin brother will say otherwise!"  
It hurt Koichi to see her that way. And he supposed that was where the trouble began. That outburst, his mother telling him he'd created a fairytale, caused him to wonder. Had it really happened? Maybe it was like in Wizard of Oz, where Dorothy saw people she knew. The group of children could simply be people he'd met before, and Koji's arrival with that same group of children might be coincidence. Was the Digital World even real?  
Koji had told him it had happened, but Koichi still felt that he was being humored out of pity. Would Koji really just go along with his story because they were family? It sickened him to think it, but it could be true.

And then there was that day. The most frightening day of all when he'd brought his lost brother to meet his mother. He recalled it with perfect clarity...

_**Useless**_

"Mother!" Koichi called. "I'm home, and there's someone I want you to meet!"  
Mrs. Kimura had happily strode into the front room. "Who is this Koichi? A friend from school?"  
Koichi frowned. It was the middle of summer, and school didn't start for weeks.  
"No, mother" he said. "This is Koji. Koji Minamoto."

There was silence for a moment, as his mother tried to process the words. Koji stepped forward, a look of question on his face.  
"Mom?" he asked quietly. The feeling was foreign, Koichi could tell. In the Digital World, Koji had confided that he'd promised to refer to his step-mother as 'mom', because he had believed his own mother to be dead. This moment seemed monumental.  
And that was when the screaming began.  
"Koichi!" His mother glared. "You brought him here? I specifically told you not to. We have nothing to do with the Minamotos anymore, and I am ashamed!"  
"Mother!" Koichi protested. "You can't blame Koji for the things dad did."  
It was the wrong thing to say. Koichi's mother, who was usually so kind and happy, practically went purple. "Don't you DARE talk about your father to me, young man! He was nothing but a cheat, and I will NEVER have him, or his son discussed in my house again!" She rounded on Koji. "Now get out of my home before I call the police!"

_**Pathetic**_

Koichi recalled the tears in his brother's eyes as he had turned away, shattered. For such a long time, he'd waited to meet his mother, thinking of the nice, jovial woman Koichi had described. This anger had shocked him to his core.  
Koichi suspected Koji had been just as shattered as he was now.

_**Freak**_

After that, the two brothers had stayed away from each-other, neither being able to talk about what had happened. After a few weeks, humble little Tommy had approached him.  
"Koichi, are you alright?" Tommy had asked. When he recieved no answer, he sat down on the bench where the black-haired boy had been thinking. "You've barely talked to anyone over the last month."  
"Leave me alone" Koichi had muttered.  
"Come on" Tommy probed. "If you have a problem, I can help you."  
Koichi's steely gaze met Tommy's like a searchlight. "I don't need help with my problems. I can look after myself." He'd stood and began to walk away.  
Tommy was determined. "Please Koichi! If you just bottle your anger up, you'll never feel better! I can help!"  
Koichi was getting angry by this point. "Stop it, Tommy. I know what you're doing. You want to know what happened between me and Koji. Well frankly, it's none of your business."  
Tommy had nearly turned away then, but he returned for one final attempt. "Koichi, Koji told me about what happened with your mother. I'm only trying to-"  
_"Shut up, kid!"_ Koichi roared. Blinded by anger and betrayal, he spun around, bringing his fist slamming into Tommy's cheek. _"I don't need you, or anyone else! Especially my traitor of a brother! I never should have followed you and your little joy-squad on your stupid trip through the Digital World. For all I care, you can all just leave, and never speak to me again!"_

Tommy stood, wiping a bit of blood from his nose. He managed to hold his voice steady, despite the tears in his eyes. "Fine then. I see how it is. You don't want us around anymore? Fine then! Go! Go and live out the miserable life you're setting for yourself. I hope it makes you happy."  
With that, Tommy had turned and left.

_**Friendless**_

Koichi was hate. He was hate, betrayal, and fury all bound into one explosive package. And he only knew of one place where he could vent that anger.  
The empty train station greeted him with only the whisper of the opened door. Koichi smashed his fist against the 'down' button and entered as the car arrived. He stood inside for a moment, before calling out. "Well, what's the holdup? You know where I want to go, so take me down already!"  
The compartment was silent. Koichi growled, before reaching into his pocket to grab the first thing at hand-his cellphone. He slammed it against the wall in anger. In response, the phone lit up, becoming his D-Tector once more.  
**"Koichi Kimura"** A voice he'd never heard, yet heard many times before, called. **"Your decision is made."**  
The elevator descended, and Koichi quickly found himself in the Trailmon station. A single train awaited him-the Dark Trailmon.  
"Right then, kid" the Trailmon called. "Climb aboard if you will, but you should think first. Using the Digital World as a way to blow off steam is not a wise idea. You may not like what you find there."  
"Shut up" Koichi warned. "I don't need your preaching. I've made this choice, and I'm going as far away as I can from all those who hate me. So thake me there."  
The Trailmon nodded, so far as a locomotive is able to nod. "Very well then. All aboard."

_**Your rage is your downfall**_

Koichi spent the ride sitting in one spot, thinking of all the things that were happening. He'd once been warned that darkness did not have to be evil, but that was proving to be the case here. He couldn't take back the things he'd said, so he needed a place where nobody would approach to make peace. And this was it.  
The door slid open, and a tall figure greeted him.  
** "Welcome, Koichi"** Duskmon said. Koichi said nothing, simply walking forward, as if dazed by all his anger. Duskmon made no move to step aside, but instead the two merged into one once again.  
**"This is your destiny now"** Duskmon grinned.** "Fueled by hatred and extended by every other dark emotion. Darkness is not always a tool for evil, but your own wisdom is returning to you. Ironic, isn't it that you left this world as a hero, and return as a new, twisted being."** The two smirked, and spoke together. **"There's no turning back. The darkness has prevailed. And I shall bring this world to its knees once more!"**

_Though the path of light called, you allowed your thoughts to be warped. You built your own prison of hate and suffering, with nothing to contain but yourself. I'm just here to lock the door._  
_Clink._

* * *

**This is just a oneshot I thought of where Koichi becomes overwhelmed by the changes to his life and returns to corruption. I think it's an interesting idea. Leave your input, please!**

**Even Fire and Ice have a Dark side...**


End file.
